The City of Pasadena, California, and the Rose Bowl Operating Company (RBOC) filed a request on November 10 for a preliminary injunction and a temporary restraining order in Los Angeles County Superior Court to prevent UCLA from leaving the Rose Bowl Stadium.[1] The City and the RBOC filed a lawsuit against UCLA on October 29, seeking to compel the school to honor the terms of its current lease, which requires UCLA to continue playing its home games at the Rose Bowl through 2043.
According to the plaintiffs, the lease agreement “expressly prohibits UCLA from conducting any home football games in any facility located in the Los Angeles [area] or in Orange County, other than the [Rose Bowl Stadium].” They further claim that if UCLA broke their lease, they would suffer “immediate and irreparable harm.”[2] The “irreparable harm” that plaintiffs cite is the fact that the Rose Bowl’s annual schedule is built around UCLA’s home games, which span several months. The uncertainty about UCLA’s future at the Rose Bowl, according to plaintiffs, could negatively impact planning and organizing concerts and other significant events at the stadium.
UCLA has been hosting its home games at the Rose Bowl since 1982. But nearly 45 years later, UCLA is now attempting to move its home games to SoFi Stadium, which, while it has a smaller seating capacity, is 14 miles closer to campus than the Rose Bowl. According to UCLA, the move from the Rose Bowl is primarily due to “financial pressures,” citing a $51.8 million deficit in the athletic department in 2024.[3] Additionally, the Rose Bowl is likely inclined to hold UCLA to its lease, as the school currently shares revenue from games with the stadium.
Unfortunately for the city of Pasadena and the RBOC, Los Angeles County Judge James C. Chalfant denied their request for a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order several days later, on November 12. Judge Chalfant ruled last Wednesday that Pasadena “failed to show the kind of ‘imminent harm’ required for a temporary restraining order.” Judge Chalfant further stated that the plaintiffs’ concerns are financial and do not warrant an injunction.[4]
This rejection of the plaintiff’s preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order leaves UCLA free to continue discussions with SoFi Stadium, and the underlying case will proceed in court, with discovery likely to begin soon.
Photo credits: https://www.visitpasadena.com/events/rose-bowl-game/
[1] Uggetti, Paolo, Rose Bowl, city file restraining order to keep UCLA from ending lease, ESPN (Nov. 10, 2025, 03:47 PM), https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/46919874/rose-bowl-city-file-restraining-order-keep-ucla-ending-lease
[2] Id.
[3] Gorawara, Ira, Judge rejects Rose Bowl’s bid to block UCLA from SoFi Stadium move, The Athletic (Nov. 12, 2025), https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6795416/2025/11/12/rose-bowl-ucla-sofi-stadium-restraining-order/
[4] Id.
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